NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 65: Enemy Detected
Hiral launched himself forward on one burst of Rejection after another, using a second wedge of Rejection to cut through the rain ahead of him as he went. Above, the three flying mounts carried the others and kept an eye out for monsters. They’d had to slow to about seventy-five percent of their maximum flying speed for Hiral to be able to keep up, but even that was making good time.
“We’re coming up on the edge fast.” Seena’s voice came over the party chat like she was standing right there beside him.
“What? Shouldn’t it be a few more miles away?” Hiral asked as he ransacked his mind for the island’s layout. Based on where he thought they were, there was no way they should be at the edge already.
“The Enemy did a real number on this place,” Seeyela answered. “You sure you’re good to get to the town on your own with a few extra miles of sky?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” Hiral said.
Another two jumps, and his high Atn picked out the edge of the island, just like they’d said. He slowed his steps to get the distance just right. Dropping to measured lopes instead of bursts for as much distance as he could get, he went one, two, three steps to drop his lead foot right in front of the edge, then thrust his hands out behind him.
All at once, four blasts of Rejection erupted from his palms and feet, launching him to rocket at a forty-five-degree angle while he simultaneously dropped his weight by half. The forceful ejection cost him a fair chunk of solar energy, but it also more than doubled his speed—shooting him ahead of the flying mounts temporarily—and he soared through the air.
Deft threads of solar energy to his Runes of Separation and Unsealing reduced the effects of friction on his wedge of Rejection, and he cut through the air like a knife.
“Whoa, why didn’t you do that sooner?” Seena asked, Vili screeching as the phoenix raced to catch up.
Based on what he knew of the valley, it wouldn’t be enough to get him to the center, but he still chose not to add any more bursts for the moment. Instead, he let his momentum carry him while he used Cycling+ to regain some of his spent energy.
He’d gone almost a mile by the time his upward trajectory evened off and began to dip. Given his launch and the fact the village was more than a mile below his jump point, he’d easily get another two miles out of his leap before he needed to do anything.
His Coat of Ur’Thul flapped lightly around him from the energies coursing through his rune usage, and his double helix glowed yellow. None of the rain or wind could touch him through the field of Rejection, and Hiral turned his attention to where he spotted the small village through the storm.
Smoke rose in several dark streamers despite the pounding rain, which meant those couldn’t be small fires. Or good ones.
“You all see the village?” Hiral asked, the ground now no more than a mile below him and closing fast. “See the smoke?”
“Can’t see much through this rain,” Seeyela said. “Is it under attack?”
“Dr. Benza, is there a portal directly to the village?” Seena asked.
“There is,” the doctor replied.
“Then it’s under attack. Hiral, you going to be up for a fight?”
A thought brought his three swords, two axes, and Runic Blunderbuss out of his Ring of Amin Thett to float beside him. A quick glance and a touch of solar energy illuminated their connections to him and the Ring both, but the weapons all kept up with his flight. Instead of taking control of any of those weapons, though, he drew the RHCs from his thighs, then formed planes of Rejection behind his feet.
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Carefully arresting his descent but maintaining his forward momentum, he was suddenly bounding above the nearby treetops. Hiral devoured the distance towards the village—no more than fifty buildings, with less than half that still standing.
As far as he could tell, there weren’t any hordes of monsters like rats, bats, or anything else. Instead, a single carriage-sized shape swept back and forth, invisible except for where the rain hit its body.
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
ENEMY DETECTED!
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
“There’s an Enemy there,” Hiral said, his voice low. “Almost as big as a small house.”
“Damnit, of course there is,” Seena said. “You think it’s seen us yet?”
“I don’t know.” As Hiral spoke, motion up and above caught his attention, and he saw Dr. Benza waving his arms like he was trying to get their attention. Keep forgetting he doesn’t have access to the party chat. “Looks like the doctor wants something.”
“On it,” Seeyela said, Bliss galloping up beside Drake. Another fifteen seconds later, she finally spoke again. “It definitely knows we’re here.”
“How do you know?” Seena asked while the group continued to close the distance.
They’d be at the village in less than a minute at this rate, and the ruined buildings were becoming clearer with every step Hiral took. Worse… the bodies—and their parts—strewn about the streets, blood mixing with the rain, definitely weren’t his imagination. There was no horde of monsters, but the single Enemy was far worse.
“The doc says they believe the Enemy uses the falling rain to tell where things are,” Seeyela explained. “Like a… What did you call it? Something called sonar. If the rain is hitting us, it can see us.”
“Element of surprise is out the window,” Seena muttered. “Sis, where does the doctor need to go to get the islands in the air?”
“One sec…” Seeyela said. “Biggest white building in the town. Has an angled roof with crystal plating on the top to absorb solar energy. Should be close to the middle.”
“And how long will it take him to do what he needs to?”
“Couple of minutes, assuming nothing important was destroyed by the Enemy.”
“Whole town looks pretty destroyed,” Hiral interrupted.
“Dr. Benza says most of the important stuff is underground,” Seeyela replied. “The buildings don’t matter. Just the interface.”
“Good enough,” Seena said. “Plan is a simple, if risky, one. Drake takes Dr. Benza, Fenil, and Laseen to the building while we deal with the Enemy. Any questions?”
“Just one.” Hiral’s hands squeezed around the handles of his RHCs. “We owe these things some payback. We killing it?”
“Oh, we’re burning it to the ground,” Seena said, her mantle flaring behind her as Vili raced along with her standing on its back. “Hiral, I don’t expect you to tank this thing. None of us probably can. Stay mobile. Hit-and-run tactics.
“Do. Not. Die.”
“Drake’s the biggest target,” Hiral said, waving his hand for the Dracolich to slow down. “Hang back, buddy. Let us get this thing’s attention, then follow us in and get the researchers where they tell you.”
The blue eyes of the Dracolich met Hiral’s, and Drake gave a single nod.
“There could be another Enemy back here,” Seeyela pointed out. “Should we have somebody stay back with them?”
“No,” Seena said after a moment’s thought. “We can’t afford to go easy on this thing until we know what it’s capable of. Assume it’s the Boss of the dungeon. Keep Eloquent and Enraged ready, but other than that, go full strength from the beginning.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a sheath of flames in the shape of a bird surrounded Seena’s body like armor. The bird’s beak split in a cry to match Vili’s, and long talons so hot they looked like plasma extended from her hands. Her tomes floated on both sides of her, with Li’l Ur hovering in a blue column of light above one. Whatever he was doing, it was surrounding Seena in sinister blue symbols.
The little lich’s actions didn’t seem to worry the woman, however, and Hiral glanced over in Seeyela’s direction.
Where one sister was wreathed in fire, the other trailed a sickly green behind her. The Fangs of the Lady each glowed with a corona of energy, while luminescent lines of green spread like a spiderweb across her armor.
High above everybody, thunder BOOOOOMED, shaking the entire dungeon, and Hiral looked up half-expecting to see the giant Enemy again. Instead, as lightning flashed and more thunder drummed across the sky, he saw two huge silhouettes within the clouds.
A bird of prey with its wings spread wide, and a sleek spider with fangs dripping deadly venom.
The images vanished as fast as the lightning did, but their power remained with the two sisters.
This wasn’t an Abomination they were going up against, or even an Infested. It was time to find out, once and for all, just how strong these squids were.